To introduce fluorescent light coin examinations, let me quote from a recent article in Road & Track magazine about one of the fastest, most powerful and expensive supercars on earth built by Bugatti: “The final step for each newly assembled Chiron is a painstaking examination under 100 fluorescent lights. NO FLAW CAN HIDE.”
While I cannot take credit for the use of fluorescent light for coin examinations, as virtually its sole proponent for the last 40 years, when its value for both authentication and grading is eventually realized, I hope that future numismatists will forget that it was not my discovery and give me the credit
Category Archives: facts about fakes
Can You Find ‘Secret’ Dime Marker?
By F. Michael Fazzari
There are no secrets to coin authentication. All it takes is a stereo microscope and either the diagnostics of a genuine specimen or access to known genuine coins for a back-and-forth comparison
Mintmarks: Know the Style and Location
Letter mint mark as used for the New Orleans mint.
by Michael Fazarri
Readers will recall that a mintmark is a symbol, letter, or combination of these marks placed on a die to indicate the location of the facility where the coin was produced. Many foreign countries used animals or objects such as an anchor to serve this purpose
Fuljenz Provides Useful Tips for Avoiding Fakes
Dr. Michael Fuljenz
(Rosemont, Illinois) July 3, 2019 – Former American Numismatic Association authenticator, grader, and instructor, Dr. Michael Fuljenz, will give expert advice about counterfeits in the marketplace during his Money Talks seminar at the ANA 2019 Chicago World’s Fair of Money® (www
Genuine Coins Have “Style”
While it is obvious today that to authenticate a coin, you must know what the genuine coin should look like, at one time this was taken for granted. When I became an authenticator, I never saw it expressed anywhere! I am certain this primary “rule” of authentication was formalized in print and passed on during our authentication seminars starting in 1973 due to a very fortuitous event.
One day at the Certification Service, we almost returned a very worn 1915-S Pan Pac $50 (carried as a pocket piece) to a walk-in the customer as a cast counterfeit because it looked so crude under a microscope